


Accidentally Back to You

by NeuroWriter14



Series: Ways Back To You [1]
Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Do not repost, Hannibal Lecter Loves Will Graham, M/M, Somewhere in the beginning of Season 3, Will Graham Loves Hannibal Lecter, accidental suicide attempt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-31
Updated: 2020-08-31
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:15:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26219230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NeuroWriter14/pseuds/NeuroWriter14
Summary: When Hannibal finds out about Will's apparent suicide attempt, he is furious. And terrified. He abandons everything to find him, angry and terrified that the one person he went through the greatest lengths to keep alive, was squandering yet another gift.
Relationships: Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter
Series: Ways Back To You [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1904167
Comments: 16
Kudos: 415





	Accidentally Back to You

Hannibal had only ever felt rage twice in his life. The first time was after Mischa's death. It was rage that preceded his grief over Mischa as he hunted down the men who killed her. When the rage eventually faded, he was left with nothing but the glaring hole that was left by her absence. By everyone's absence. The second time Hannibal felt rage was just now, as he set down the tablet with which he was reading Freddie Lounds's newest article. Freddie Lounds, alive and unharmed, first reported on Hannibal's disappearance and the FBI investigation into him as the Ripper. Then there was a rather crude article about Will with a picture of his temporary colostomy bag plastered at the top. Hannibal had debated for a moment returning to Baltimore just to end Freddie once and for all for that picture. But then there was this. 

According to Freddie, there wasn't much known about Will's apparent suicide attempt. He had been found one morning by Jack Crawford who had come to visit. He was rushed to the hospital where pain medication and alcohol were found in his system, causing him to collapse. His stomach was pumped and he was put on observation for 48 hours following his apparent attempt on his life. Freddie then went on to speculate that Will's suicide attempt was spurred on because he missed Hannibal along with other speculation that she had been spewing in her last few articles. All of them revolved around a more intense relationship that Will claimed had occurred. 

Much like Freddie, he too was under the assumption that they shared something more than what Will claimed. And perhaps they had. Hannibal's rather dramatic reaction to Will's betrayal had left him with a plausible excuse. Hannibal fooled them all, including Will. And as a result, he was left to bleed out in the kitchen while Hannibal escaped. It was a pretty package to pack an ugly truth. Hannibal wouldn't deny that Will's denial stung slightly. But it didn't produce rage. This, however, was enough to elicit rage. After everything he had done for Will, after everything he thought they shared, after making certain Will would live, he dared to try to take his own life. It failed, obviously. But that wasn't what enraged him. It was that he had even tried in the first place. He didn't offer an excuse to Bedelia as he packed a small bag, enough to last him for a few days. She read the article while he moved, silently fuming. She didn't try to stop him either. Perhaps she thought he would get caught. 

Jack would likely suspect that Hannibal would return for Will, but he wouldn't spend too much time searching for Hannibal. Not yet anyway. Jack still had Bella and that would take up a majority of his time. 

Hannibal debated going to the hospital first but eventually decided against it. Too many people. He would have to wait. He would wait to make certain Will was all right before he might truly try to kill him. This time for real. He was still debating and had through the whole flight and the long drive to Wolf Trap, Virginia. Ultimately, he decided that waiting in Will's house was the best course of action. His house was isolated but it would be easy to hide if Jack came back sooner than he expected. Or if Will decided to do something rash. Again. Given the amount of time between when he first read the article and how long it took him to arrive, he would be at Will's house just before Will himself returned. Will rarely used the upstairs so Hannibal decided to wait there, just in case he wasn't alone when he came home. The dogs knew him instantly, tails wagging and noses sniffing, hoping for treats. He made certain to pet each of them before he ventured up the stairs and waited. 

He didn't have to wait long.

A car rolled over the driveway, likely Jack's SUV. The dogs shifted downstairs, barking happily and tails thumping. Hannibal leaned his head against the wall he was sitting next to, letting out a slow breath. This was the closest he and Will had been in over a month. It was just as torturous as when Will was in the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane. He heard the door open and the dogs barked happily. Two sets of footsteps entered the house. He could hear Will greeting his dogs, his voice was happy but tired. 

The other was likely Jack who followed him into the house. 

"Jack for the millionth time," Will said, likely resuming the conversation they had started outside or in the car. "I didn't try to kill myself." 

"That is certainly not what it looked like."

Will sighed. "It wasn't a suicide attempt. If anything, it was stupidity." 

"You're not stupid. Which is why I'm not inclined to believe you." 

Will sighed again. "It was pain meds and me losing track of my alcohol intake. Stupidity. No suicidal ideation." 

They were silent for a moment as Will shuffled through the house, moving into the kitchen. 

"Just say it, Jack. I'm tired and I would like to go to bed." 

Jack was silent for another heartbeat. "The reason I came over the other day," He began. "It was to make certain you wouldn't contradict the official story."

Will let out a sardonic laugh. Hannibal shifted, straining to hear the conversation. Eavesdropping was rude, he knew this, but he wanted to know more. He shifted again, seeing barely into the kitchen. Will was leaning against the counter, his back to Jack who stood a little behind him. 

"Do you remember when you decided to call Hannibal?" 

Will stared at the counter. "I wasn't decided when I called him. I just called him." Will sucked in a breath. "I deliberated while the phone rang. I decided when I heard his voice." Hannibal's heart stopped. 

"You told him we knew."

Will stared somewhere ahead of him. "I told him to leave. Because I wanted him to run." 

"Why?"

 _Why?_ Hannibal's mind echoed. _Why did you tell me to run, Will?_

"Because he was my friend." He could almost see Will's throat bobbing with his swallow. "And because I wanted to run away with him." 

_Oh, Will._

Jack stared at the back of his head for a long moment, his face dawning with the same realization Hannibal was currently experiencing. 

"Hannibal may come back for you once he learns about this." Will didn't answer. "And he may slip away again. Will you slip away with him?"

"A part of me will always want to." Will murmured. The pair stood in silence for a moment as Will's head turned just slightly, looking up the stairs. His eyes narrowed slightly. But Hannibal was certain Will couldn't see him. He was hidden and had only moved just enough to see down the stairs. It was dark outside and upstairs, making it nearly impossible to know if someone was there. It was part of the reason he picked it. "But Hannibal would be a fool to return anyway. He knows you're looking for him." 

"He might be a fool," Jack answered. "He left you alive." 

Will smirked slightly. "I won't contradict the official story, Jack." He turned, his face once again a mask of exhaustion. "Now you should go home. I'm tired and just want to sleep." 

Eventually, Jack did leave. Will shuffled around for a few more minutes before Hannibal heard the creak of his bed. A few minutes later, his breathing changed. Will was asleep.

* * *

He woke, not because he was disturbed, but rather because there was a lack of disturbance. The sun had just begun to rise, barely peeking over the horizon, but the dogs should want out at this point. He had fallen asleep rather early so the dogs would want to be let out early in the morning. But instead, there was silence around him. Nothing to indicate that he had several dogs who would be holding their bladders as best they could for Will to wake. He shifted in his bed, looking over to the dog beds only to find them empty. He shot upward, his heart hammering in his chest. Had something happened? Did he do something? Even in his worst state, he would never harm his dogs. Right?

The door opened and the dogs piled into the room, a voice behind them shushing them. The dogs rushed to him, each sniffing and wagging their tails. He couldn't see the face of the person at the door, but he could see enough of the outline of their body to guess who it was. Hannibal looked over at him before turning back to the one dog still outside. 

"Your father's awake." He said and Winston finally trotted inside. 

Hannibal entered after him, shutting the door and shedding one of Will's jackets that was almost too tight on him. 

"I told you to leave." He swung his legs over the edge of the bed, standing. He was acutely aware he was only a t-shirt and underwear, but it wasn't as though Hannibal hadn't seen him like this before.

"I know," Hannibal answered.

"Jack could be back at any time. He could have been back this morning. He could have seen you." 

"Jack has Bella to attend to. I intend to be gone before he returns." 

Will nodded. "Well, you've seen me. I'm alive. Didn't attempt suicide." He couldn't help the bitterness in his voice. "You can leave." 

In truth, both had the right to be bitter. Will had betrayed him and Hannibal had betrayed Will in equal measure. Will lied about Freddie Lounds, tried to lure Hannibal into a trap of his own making. And yet when he had the chance to turn Hannibal in when the other mutilated Mason Verger, he did nothing. Because he didn't want to. By the time that fateful night came around, he didn't want Hannibal in prison. Or dead. He had told him to run for that reason. And Hannibal had still plunged the knife into his gut anyway. He had still killed Abigail anyway. 

"No. I can't." Hannibal answered. "Not yet." 

"What do you want?" 

The other stepped further into the room, closer to Will. "Forgive me."

Will spluttered. "Forgive you? You killed Beverly. You killed Abigail. You messed with my head, made me lose all sense of myself and who I thought I was. You framed me. You put me in jail for your crimes." Will could feel his voice rising as he spoke, unable to stop himself. There was so much he had to say, so much he had to tell him. "You abandoned me." 

Hannibal stepped forward then, pressing a hand against Will's abdomen. Of course, Hannibal would know exactly where the slash in his abdomen was, he had put it there. Will's hand came up automatically, grabbing his wrist but not pulling him away. 

"I didn't abandon you." His voice was a whisper. 

Will thought about the wound in his stomach. 

_He wanted you to live._

Hannibal wanted him alive. But he had marked him too. 

"You ran away with your therapist." Hannibal's eyes narrowed, a question in them. "I didn't." He answered. "I didn't know for certain. Until now." He paused for a second, shaking slightly. "You left me," Will whispered. 

"I'm sorry," Hannibal whispered. 

"I can't forgive you." He wanted to shout but his words were only a whisper. "You've taken so much from me."

"Forgive me," Hannibal said again. 

"I can't." 

Hannibal stepped closer moving his hands to cup Will's face. "I forgave you." Will shook his head as best he could in Hannibal's grasp. "Forgive me."

 _I loved you._ He wanted to say. _I loved you and you left me._

"You delayed our leaving, why?" Hannibal asked after a moment.

"Jack," Will swallowed, emotions clogging his throat. "Jack would never have stopped looking for me. For you. He knew. I didn't want him dead. I don't want him dead. I don't want to hurt him. But both of you would have made me choose. And I knew my choice." 

"Forgive me, Will." 

"Han-" But the other cut him off. 

Their lips crashed together. Hannibal wasn't shutting him up, he was pressing every emotion, every explanation into the kiss.

"Forgive me."

"I-" Their lips met again. He wanted to.

Will's arms came around Hannibal automatically. One hand was fisted in his hair and the other around his waist. 

"Forgive me."

"Yes." 

Their lips met again as Hannibal's arms enveloped him. He was lost. He could feel the tears running down his face, emotions clogging his throat as Hannibal pulled him closer. The other pressed him close, as though he were afraid Will would vanish from his grasp. 

When Jack came by later, he would find a note, one less dog, and Will seemingly vanished. Will Graham was gone. And there was no sign of Hannibal Lecter. Jack would be upset, but he knew already that Will would leave when Hannibal came for him. 

Will spent the whole flight asleep on Hannibal's shoulder, their hands linked together. 

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to come yell at me on [Tumblr](https://neurowriter14.tumblr.com/) or [Twitter](https://twitter.com/NWriter14)


End file.
